"Take it easy," Athena urged gently, her hand on his shoulder to keep him from overexerting himself. "You've been unconscious for a while. Rest for now."
Xianli blinked a few times, trying to collect his thoughts. "Where... where am I?" His voice was raspy, and his gaze darted around, confused.
"You're safe," Mors reassured him. "We found you after the quake, but you were burning up with fever. We're in a cave near the forest."
Xianli looked at them both, still disoriented. "The earthquake... it was... it came out of nowhere. Did we make it out in time?"
He winced as a sharp pain shot through his head. Athena quickly pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling his temperature had dropped to a more manageable level.
"You're safe," she repeated, her voice calm but firm. "But we need to know what happened. Before the earthquake... Did you meet anyone?"
Xianli's brow furrowed as he began to piece together his fragmented memory.
